I have been a professional animal communicator for eight years. I communicated with animals on some level for many years before that without knowing it. Since animal communication was not something I knew about and I had a more scientific bent, I thought that I was just empathetic and good at reading animal body language. Of course, those are both good skills to have when working with animals, but telepathic animal communication takes it another step.

I first learned about animal communication and started trying it about ten years ago. There was a large part of me that believed that something that sounded so wonderful, like a dream come true for me, could not possibly be real. However, I was amazed at the verifiable information I got, and continued to practice and study.

I still work to learn new skills, hone my communication and help animals more. That’s one reason I became a Reiki practitioner and went back to school and got my license in Veterinary Technology. One thing I love about my profession is that, after ten years, I still feel I learn something new about animals and animal communication every day.

2. How does one communicate with animals?

Gretchen Kunz

You will find that every animal communicator has her or his own individual method of connecting with animals. However, the basic idea is to relax, open your mind and heart and connect with the energy of the individual animal. Many people describe communicating with an animal as similar to tuning into the frequency of a radio station, and it is comparable. However, instead of tuning into radio waves that are translated into vibrations you can hear, you are tuning into something subtler – the energy waves generated by the animal’s thoughts and spirit, which you translate into words, pictures and other sensations you can understand. It’s something most of us do at some level already without knowing it, but it can be cultivated with practice so it is easier and more accurate.

3. Can you share with us, one of your favorite animal communication stories? How it impacted the owner or the animal or both?

I have so many stories that amazed me over the years, some of which I’ve collected on the testimonials page of my site, it’s hard to pick one. One that was very moving to me was when a friend of my family called me, distraught that her elderly dog, Bob, had gone missing. When I connected with him, I got that he had gone into the woods around their house because he knew he was dying and didn’t want to upset the family. He sent me some of the most beautiful and emotional images I’ve gotten during a communication, of him, a dog who was usually very low to the ground, lying on pine needles in small clearing and looking up through the tree tops at the stars. He was preparing to leave his body.

My friend, however, wanted him to know that for him to die with her family was not a burden, but that they would want him to be home where they knew he was safe and could be there for him. She especially wanted her son, who had grown up with Bob, to be able to see him one last time and say goodbye.

Bob listened, and not long afterward returned to the house, moving carefully and slowly. He lay down in the son’s arms and passed away peacefully at home, no longer feeling like a burden, and allowing everyone the chance to say goodbye.

4. Do you prefer to communicate with younger or older animals?

Gretchen Kunz

I love communicating with animals of all ages. Each of them has their individual personality, and sometimes you’ll meet a young animal who acts like an old soul or an elderly one who lives with the zest of a youth. I will say that, as with people, many animals mellow with experience, become more connected with their family and have a lot of wisdom to share as they age. That’s one reason I encourage people who adopt pets to consider older animals, rather than just the cute babies.

5. Do you prefer to communicate with a certain type of animal? I mean, do you do better with cats, dogs, horses? Do you even talk to reptiles?

I talk to all species, and love talking with ones I haven’t tried yet. I would say that I am most familiar with cats, as I have had more cats over the years and many people in New York City keep cats, but I’ve had the pleasure to communicate with animals from dogs to cockatoos, pigs to raccoons and whales to flies. As for reptiles, I’ve also had turtles in my household for many years, and between being a vet tech, interning at a zoo and traveling in several jungles, have enjoyed communicating with many kinds of snakes, lizards, turtles and amphibians.

6. How do your services work? Do you come to my home? Do I bring my pet to you? Do you communicate LIVE over the phone or in person?

I generally find it most effective to communicate live over the phone. I will introduce myself to the animal and ask a few questions before their person gets on the phone, and then get into deeper questions and explanations when the person calls and we have a group conversation. This way, even shy animals can be comfortable sharing with me. Also, the person and the animal in question do not have to feel nervous about or distracted by having a stranger in their territory. I find that my energy when communicating can be intense for some animals in person, especially when their people are watching closely, so I like to go lightly. It also allows me to do more appointments and is more economical for my clients.

I do sometimes do communications via email, particularly if a client is hearing impaired or lives in another country. I will also, on occasion, do in-person readings, often at events like pet shows or charity fundraisers, or for people like dog walkers, rescuers or farmers who want a quick read on a large number of animals and their group dynamic. However, if a client feels more comfortable seeing me in person, I will work with them to arrange to do it in a way that is most helpful for the animal.

7. What do you charge for your services? Do you have a package deal?

Gretchen Kunz

I charge $25 per every 15 minutes. People can talk to as many animals as they want during our appointment, as long as they’re ready for them to sometimes interrupt and comment on each other!

Each of my appointments is something of a package deal, because I often include help like nutritional advice, flower essence recommendations, training ideas and Reiki healing energy. I can do separate Reiki sessions for an animal without the communication for $15, but when I do a communication I always add that for free if it is needed.

8. Why do you think animal communication is valuable?

Caring communication between all beings is invaluable, just as communication between people from all different backgrounds is invaluable. We learn how to understand each other, our world and ourselves through communication. Communication is key to love and to being happy for all species.

On a more practical note, animal communication can help you understand your animal’s feelings, needs and behaviours. It can help with working out troubled relationships, understanding an animal’s illness, treatment and end-of-life issues and just make your bond with your pet stronger. When you really know and accept each other, you can both compromise and live together in harmony, feeling understood and loved.

9. Do you think if a vet would incorporate animal communication into their practice it would be helpful?

Absolutely. There are some open-minded veterinarians I’ve worked with, and some of my clients will take information from our session with their animal to help them understand their pet’s symptoms and possible treatments. As a Licensed Veterinary Technician, I would never use animal communication as a substitute for proper medical care. However, I do find that some animals are very aware of what is going on in their bodies before it shows up in tests, while others are just more comfortable when they can relate their symptoms and know their people and the veterinary staff care and are doing what they’re doing to help them. All told, I think veterinarians could benefit both from using animal communication as one of many diagnostic tools, and as a way to help their patients and clients feel less stressed, which always helps in treatment. Moreover, knowing what the animal wants can make a client more confident in knowing what treatments they want to pursue, which makes a veterinarian’s work easier, too. Modern veterinary practice is still very new compared to human medical science, and it often takes a while for alternative methods to be accepted, but I think that animal communication, like supplements, acupuncture and other holistic treatments, will win more veterinary professionals over in time.

10. Are you able to communicate with an animal in the after life? How does that work?

Yes, and it is actually one of my favourite types of communication. I tune into the animal’s frequency, just as I would with a living animal. The difference is that the animal usually feels so free and happy after leaving their bodily pains and constraints behind, that the message I get from them most of all is contentment and love. Often they will detach more from paying close attention to what happens in the living world over time, but particularly when they are recently passed they often watch over and visit their people and animal friends who are still alive. It can make a huge difference both to the human and the animal to be able to share that dying is not an awful thing that separates them forever, and that they can review their lives together with understanding and peace.

A short bio of Gretchen Kunz:

Gretchen Kunz is an animal communicator, Reiki practitioner and Licensed Veterinary Technician who has been communicating with animals for over ten years. Originally a skeptic, she discovered animal communication during the illness of her beloved cat, Ellie, and was amazed at the verifiable results she got when training with Dawn Hayman of Spring Farm Cares. Years of practice and study later, she still learns every day and thinks animal communication is the greatest thing since – or possibly before! – sliced bread.

Gretchen has been named Best Pet Communicator for 2004 by The Village Voice and featured in The Times of London, New York Newsday, the Chicago Tribune, Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel, Virginia Daily Press and the books Animal Voices, Animal Guides, by Dawn Baumann Brunke and The Holistic Dog Book: Canine Care for the 21st Century by Denise Flaim. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with her partner, three very opinionated cats and one very tough turtle. Find out more about Gretchen and her work at her website, AnimalTalker.com, and blog, Gretchen Kunz’s Animal Talk.

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Hi, I’m Jenny Dean, creator of Floppycats! Ever since my Aunt got the first Ragdoll cat in our family, I have loved the breed. Inspired by my childhood Ragdoll cat, Rags (pictured with me), I created Floppycats to connect, share and inspire other (Ragdoll) cat lovers around the world, hoping we all utilize this community to make a better life for our cats and for us with our cats and to make some great friendships along the way as well.

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